Arrangement and method for indicating undesired detachment of a milking member from an animal

Abstract

An arrangement and a method for indicating an undesired detachment of a milking member from an animal in a milking stall. The arrangement includes a removing device adapted to detach the milking member from the animal and move the detached milking member to a parking position when the milking process has been completed, and a supervision device adapted to supervise when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. When the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, the removing device is adapted to move the undesirably detached milking member to an indicating position located at a distance from the parking position.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An arrangement for indicating an undesired detachment of a milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) from an animal ( 1 ), comprising:
 the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) that attaches to the animal ( 1 ) for milking the animal during a milking process; 
 a supervision device ( 17 ,  18 ,  44 ) that automatically supervises the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) during the milking process, including automatically determining i) when the milking process has been completed, and ii) when the milking member has been undesirably detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, an undesirably detached milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) being the milking member determined to have been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed; and 
 a removing device ( 10 ,  34   a - d ) that i) detaches the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) from the animal and moves the detached milking member to a parking position when the milking process has been determined to have been completed, and ii) moves the undesirably detached milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) to an indicating position ( 23 ,  42 ) when the milking member has been determined to have detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, the removing device ( 10 ,  34   a - d ) being connected to the milking member and to the supervision device, 
 wherein the indicating position is located at a distance from the parking position ( 21 ,  37 ), the indicating position being a position visually indicating to an operator that the milking member located at the indicating position has been detached from the animal before the milking process was completed. 
 
     
     
       2. The arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein,
 the parking position is located at a first vertical level ( 21 ,  37 ), 
 the indicating position is located at a second vertical level ( 23 ,  42 ), and 
 the second vertical level is vertically spaced apart from the first vertical level. 
 
     
     
       3. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein,
 the second vertical level ( 23 ) of the indicting position is vertically spaced above the first vertical level of the parking position ( 21 ). 
 
     
     
       4. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the second vertical level ( 42 ) of the indicting position is vertically spaced below the first vertical level ( 37 ) of the parking position. 
 
     
     
       5. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a sensor ( 16 ,  22 ) that measures a parameter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, 
 wherein the supervision device is operatively connected to the sensor, the supervision device determining when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed based on the measured parameter received from the sensor. 
 
     
     
       6. The arrangement according to  claim 5 , wherein the sensor is one of the group consisting of a milk meter and a timer. 
     
     
       7. The arrangement according to  claim 6 , wherein the sensor comprises the milk meter ( 16 ), the milk meter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring a milk flow level during the milking process, the milk flow level abruptly changing from a value above a predetermined minimum value to a zero value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       8. The arrangement according to  claim 6 , wherein the sensor comprises the milk meter ( 16 ), the milk meter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring an amount of milk produced during the milking process, an amount of milk flow level measured being lower than a predetermined minimum value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       9. The arrangement according to  claim 6 , wherein the sensor comprises the timer, the timer indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring a time period of the milking process, the measured time period being shorter than a predetermined minimum value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       10. The arrangement according to  claim 6 , further comprising an indicating device ( 24 ) connected to the supervision device, the indicating device being activated when the supervision device determines that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       11. The arrangement according to  claim 10 , wherein the indicating device is one of a visible alarm and an audible alarm, the indicating device being activated when the milking member has been moved to the indicating position. 
     
     
       12. The arrangement according to  claim 5 , wherein,
 the removing device moves the milking member to the indicating position at a first time, and 
 the removing device moves the milking member from the indicating position to the parking position after one of i) a predetermined time period has passed from the first time and ii) a predetermined event takes place after the first time. 
 
     
     
       13. The arrangement according to  claim 5 , wherein,
 the milking member is a cluster ( 12 ) comprising a claw and plural teat cups connected to the claw, and 
 the removing device moves all of the teat cups to the indicating position when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
 
     
     
       14. The arrangement according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the milking member is a single teat cup ( 30   a - d ) among plural teat cups used during the milking process of the animal, and 
 the removing device moves only the single teat cup to the indicating position when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
 
     
     
       15. The arrangement according to  claim 5 , located at one milking stall among one of i) a plurality of milking stalls arranged in a vicinity of a pit, and ii) a plurality of milking stalls arranged on a rotary platform. 
     
     
       16. A method for indicating an undesired detachment of a milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) from an animal in a milking stall ( 3 ,  25 ), the method comprising:
 attaching the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) to the animal ( 1 ) for milking the animal during a milking process; 
 automatically, by operating a supervision device ( 17 ,  18 ,  44 ) including i) supervising the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) during the milking process, ii) determining a) when the milking process has been completed, and b) when the milking member has been undesirably detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, an undesirably detached milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) being the milking member determined to have been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed; and 
 automatically, by operating a removing device ( 10 ,  34   a - d ) connected to the milking member and to the supervision device, i) detaching the milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) from the animal and moving the detached milking member to a parking position when the milking process has been determined to have been completed, and ii) moving the undesirably detached milking member ( 12 ,  30   a - d ) to an indicating position ( 23 ,  42 ) when the milking member has been determined to have detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, 
 wherein the indicating position is located at a distance from the parking position ( 21 ,  37 ), the indicating position being a position visually indicating to an operator that the milking member located at the indicating position has been detached from the animal before the milking process was completed. 
 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 16 , wherein,
 the parking position is located at a first vertical level ( 21 ,  37 ), 
 the indicating position is located at a second vertical level ( 23 ,  42 ), and 
 the second vertical level is vertically spaced apart from the first vertical level. 
 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 16 , comprising the further step of:
 by operating a sensor ( 16 ,  22 ), measuring a parameter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed, 
 wherein, the supervision device is operatively connected to the sensor, the supervision device determining when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed based on the measured parameter received from the sensor, and 
 wherein the sensor is one of a milk meter and a timer. 
 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the sensor comprises the milk meter ( 16 ), the milk meter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring a milk flow level during the milking process, the milk flow level abruptly changing from a value above a predetermined minimum value to a zero value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       20. The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the sensor comprises the milk meter ( 16 ), the milk meter indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring an amount of milk produced during the milking process, an amount of milk flow level measured being lower than a predetermined minimum value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed. 
     
     
       21. The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the sensor comprises the timer, the timer indicating when the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed by measuring a time period of the milking process, the measured time period being shorter than a predetermined minimum value indicating that the milking member has been detached from the animal before the milking process has been completed.